It has been a long time coming, but it’s finally here – earlier yesterday evening, Automobili Lamborghini took the wraps off its long-awaited Urus, the official unveiling of the brand’s second-ever SUV being made at its home in Sant’Agata Bolognese.

The debut of what the Italian sports car maker dubs as the “world’s first super sport utility vehicle (SSUV)” comes five and a half years after it first made its appearance in concept form in Beijing back in 2012.

The production vehicle retains the name from the study – as is tradition with the automaker, the Urus name is associated with bulls, in this case one of the large, wild ancestors of domestic cattle. According to the company, the Spanish fighting bull, as bred for the past 500 years, is still very close to the Urus in its appearance.

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Measuring in at 5,112 mm long, 2,016 mm wide and 1,638 mm tall, with a 3,003 mm-long wheelbase, the Urus also retains most of the sharp Aventador-derived angles that were displayed on the concept, although the wheels have been sized down a shade, the SUV shod with wheels ranging from 21- to 23-inch units in production form, wrapped with Pirelli P Zero rubbers (285/45 front and 315/40 rears for 21-inch, 285/35 front and 325/30 for 23-inch).

The Urus – which seats five – has cues that provides a nod to the company’s first SUV outing, the LM002, which was also present at the launch to showcase things from a heritage point of view, notably the Y-shaped front air intakes and hexagonal wheel arches from the ’80s offering.

Design elements include large hexagonal air intakes, slim headlights, a high mix of concave and convex lines and frameless doors. At the back, styling highlights include Y-shaped taillights and a rear diffuser that is inspired by Lamborghini race cars, along with integrated double round exhaust pipes.

In the metal, the Urus – which sits on the Volkswagen Group’s MLB platform that also underpins the likes of the current Audi Q7, Bentley Bentayga and Porsche Cayenne – has good physical presence; while as large as its dimensions suggest, it doesn’t look bulky or visually overbearing. Weight-wise, it tips the scales under 2,200 kg.

Inside, the cabin is dressed in a mix of leather, Alcantara, aluminium, carbon fibre and wood. Standard specification offers a uni-colour leather and trim combination in either Nero Ade or Grigio Octans, with five additional colours available as options. Also on the options list are dual-colour Bicolor Elegante and Bicolor Sportivo trim.

The dashboard, meanwhile, comes in piano black and brushed aluminium as standard, with open pore wood and carbon fibre available as alternatives. As for seats, the regulation front units are powered 12-way adjustable DNA memory sport seats, although customers can specify more luxurious 18-way fully-electric front seats that come complete with ventilation and massage functions.

In its standard form, the Urus’s rear bench seats three, and the bench seat can be lowered to extend the trunk space from 616 litres to 1,596 liters when folded. In conjunction with the fully-electric front seats, a more exclusive two-seat rear layout can be specified.

A quick word on the space afforded by the seats in the SUV, as noted during the launch – the front units are cosseting, and despite the busy frontal interface, there is good ergonomics to switchgear operation. At the back, ingress/egress feels a bit pinched (at least that’s the initial impression), but once inside the rear bench has ample knee room and a very decent spatial perspective, for two occupants at least.

The instrument cluster is a fully-digital TFT display unit, and there’s no shortage of buttons and switchgear to be found on the centre console, which is home to a Lamborghini Infotainment System (LIS), the presentation split across two screens.

The upper screen handles entertainment-related functions as well as that for navigation, telephone and car status information, while the lower screen provides a keyboard/ hand-writing-compatible canvas for the input of info as well as climate control and seat heating operation.

The centre console also houses the Tamburo (drum) driving mode selector, which offers access to the SUV’s multitude of drive modes listed under its ANIMA (Adaptive Network Intelligence Management) system.

Aside from Strada (Road), Sport, Corsa (Race), there’s Neve (Snow) and two modes available through an optional Off-Road package called Terra (Dirt) and Sabbia (Sand), which also adds on specific metal-reinforced bumpers and additional underfloor protection for off-roading. The last three modes were earlier highlighted in a series of teaser videos showcasing the SUV’s abilities in handling such situations.

The drive modes work together with the vehicle’s adaptive air suspension system, which raises and lowers the vehicle according to road and driving conditions. In Strada mode, the SUV adapts its height according to speed to enhance comfort, while in Sport mode the Urus is lowered to ensure stability and precision at all speeds.

In Corsa, the vehicle is precise and performance-oriented, with roll being kept to a minimum through the workings of an electromechanical active roll stabilisation system, introduced for the first time in a Lamborghini here. Elsewhere, the three off-road modes (Terra, Sabbia and Neve) offer a higher ground clearance allows obstacles to be safely overcome.

Motive power is provided by a specially-developed 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8, an engine Lamborghini has previously stated has nothing in common with the VAG version used in the Bentley Continental V8 and Flying Spur V8.

Equipped with variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation, the mill in the Urus puts out 650 PS (641 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 850 Nm of torque at 2,250 rpm, effectively giving the unit a specific output of 162.7 PS per litre.

Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 3.6 seconds (0-200 km/h in 12.8 seconds) and a top speed of 305 km/h. It also stops fast – the automaker states that the Urus only takes 33.7 metres to come to a stop from 100 km/h.

The decision to go the turbo route, the first in a Lamborghini, fits in with the desired usage range of the SUV, the automaker says, especially in off-road conditions, where a high level of torque at low revs is necessary and can be guaranteed only by opting for a turbo application.

The engine is paired with an automatic eight-speed gearbox. Featuring a slip-controlled converter lock-up clutch and specially-developed torque converter, the transmission has been tuned to provide very short low gear ratios and longer high gears.

Power is driven to all four wheels, with a Torsen central self-locking differential providing a 40/60 split to the independent front/rear axle as standard, with a dynamic maximum torque of 70% to the front or 87% to the rear, depending on need and demand.

The Urus also features active torque vectoring via a rear differential, enabling propulsive power to be instantly distributed to each individual wheel for enhanced traction, depending on the driving mode and style as well as road conditions.

In Strada, Terra and Neve modes, torque vectoring reduces understeer for safe and simple driving, while in Sport and Corsa it allows the Urus to become more agile with a greater oversteer character for a more vibrant drive.

There’s more – aside from carbon ceramic brakes being fitted as standard, the Urus also gets rear-wheel steering, which is available over the entire speed range. Angles vary up to +/- 3.0 degrees, according to vehicle speed and driving mode selected.

At low speeds, the rear-axle steering angle is opposite to that of the front wheels, effectively shortening the wheelbase up to 600 mm for increased agility and a reduced turning circle for better movement. At high speeds, the rear axle steering angle switches to the same direction as the front wheels, elongating the wheelbase up to 600 mm for increased stability and ride comfort.

The sound coming off the V8 engine and specially-developed exhaust system has been calibrated to vary the sound and feel of the Urus – Strada offers the quietest running, and Corsa the boldest. At full pelt, the automaker says that the SUV has a guttural, thoroughly sporty sound.

Safety equipment includes up to eight airbags, high beam assistant, front and rear parking sensors and cruise control are also included as standard, as is an innovative PreCognition system preventing/mitigating collision, and boxes on the options list include traffic management systems, top-view camera and even a trailer-coupling mode.

Versatile was the term bandied during the launch as a descriptor, and that’s how the SUV is being pitched – the Urus is capable of being driven easily and sedately in the city but can offer serious sports car dynamics when the situation demands it, on the road and track.

Add to that the ability to handle off-road excursions over a range of conditions, carrying five (or four) comfortably at that, and you’ll begin to see why this one will have broad spectrum appeal. As the automaker’s chairman and CEO, Stefano Domenicali, puts it, it’s “a Lamborghini you can drive every day,” and he isn’t wrong.

The Lamborghini Urus will be produced in Italy at the automaker’s new Urus Line in Sant’Agata Bolognese, and deliveries will start in spring next year. Pricing-wise, the SUV will retail for 171,429 euro (RM824,824), excluding taxes, in Europe. That’s not far from its expected US pricing of US$200k (RM811,000), while in Japan it will go for 25.74 million yen (RM926,800).

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

Interior lifted directly from new A8, back door has door handles(!). everything seems wrong with this car but hey, it will make a lot of money for Lambo which will allow them to make new supercars. so who cares eh

Sigh. It is so Gud to be Rich. It is even better if U are Filthy Rich bcos U get to spend all the $$$ on expensive vehicles like this Lambo Urus.
Time to buy me some lottery tickets to have a chance to own one of this fine example otherwise I can continue to Dream.

I thought Lambor’s windshield always designed in a way to be like an extension of the front bonnet to enable that sleek look. This Urus really is a departure from their normal design of all these years. Like “Semi-Value” quoted … honestly its a bit underwhelming… for a Lamborghini.

1. The ground clearance is 6.2 inches adjustable to 9.8 inches.
2. Impressive acceleration.
3. Beauty and beast, at the same time, of course due to the relative abscence of superfuturistic alien shadows.
4. Very cheap, only 200k Euro.

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